Obtaining Inorganic Nutrients
- The individual organisms in an ecosystem need organic molecules to build their cells and tissues
- These molecules contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus, as well as other elements
- Because these elements are present in the abiotic environment (such as the air and soil) in the form of inorganic compounds or nutrients, ecosystems depend on producers to transfer them into the food chain
- Producers are autotrophs, producing organic molecules from inorganic carbon via photosynthesis
- In terrestrial (land-based) ecosystems, plants use CO2 from the air
- In aquatic (water-based) ecosystems, plants use CO2 dissolved in the water
- Plants are also able to absorb inorganic nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates from the soil, incorporating them into organic molecules in their tissues as they grow
- Producers are autotrophs, producing organic molecules from inorganic carbon via photosynthesis
- The organic molecules in the tissues of producers can then be accessed by other organisms within the community via food chains
- Primary consumers feed on producers, digesting their tissues and absorbing the organic molecules via their digestive system
- Secondary consumers feed on primary consumers, and so on
The inorganic nutrients originally obtained by the producer from the abiotic environment are transferred to other organisms in the community via food chains